The quietly forceful actor hit new heights in the twisty thriller.
If youve seen a thing, youve seen Shea Whigham.
But theres a wounded quality to Whighams performance style, a pathos that can be poignant or hilarious.
Credit: Jennifer Clasen/Amazon Prime
He was a bit of both onBoardwalk Empire, where he played ever-embattled younger brother Eli Thompson.
His brilliance there made Whigham a constant presence on television in the last few years.
Hes worked with Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, David O. Russell, Terrence Malick.
Heidi seems nervous about talking to him, and you cant blame her.
There are malevolent forces swirling throughHomecomings world.
Whats Carrasco all about?
The truth comes quickly, and its the first essential revelation in a season full of unexpected turns.
Carrascos not a conspiracy shadowman, some villain pulling omniscient government-y strings.
Director Sam Esmails camera finds Carrasco amidst endless rows of cubicles.
Creators Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz craft his narrative with clever attention to banal detail.
Ive felt for a long time now that television has lost track of how to portray crimesolving onscreen.
(To say nothing ofFargoorTrue Detective, where policemen get Arthurized into cosmic hero-hood.)
Were missing the awareness that detective work iswork: Challenging, rewarding, perplexing, requiring patience and diligence.
But Whighams Carrasco is the steadiest presence on the series.
Hes drawn to the case for reasons even he cant quite explain.
You feel he knows that something has happened something bad, even something terrible.
His boss seems disinterested, reminds him he has a lot of other work to do.
(His final sequence is one of the very best character exits in recent TV history.)
Will Whigham be recognized for his great turn?
The roles not showy, andHomecomingis very new.
The fact that Roberts gives such a dynamite performance (or three!)
in the series will certainly bring some HFPA eyeballs inHomecomings direction.
I hope theyll take notice of Whigham.
